Title: Jesus' Last Supplication (Luke 23:34)
This is a very good sermon.
I have many doubts while reading the Bible. Why did Jesus preach that way? Why did Paul preach that way? At that time, Israel in the time of Jesus was a Roman colony. The same is true in Paul's time. At that time, the greatest concern of religious people among the people of Israel was independence. It was for this very purpose that they made Jesus king. To that extent, their interest in social and political issues was independence.
But Jesus and the apostle Paul never used the term independence. Why? People instinctively want me to preach for the problems I am facing today. Also, only when the pastor preaches like that, these people come like a cloud.
Even when history changes, culture changes, and human trends change, there is one unchanging figure that stands firm and stands still. It is the cross of Jesus who stands to save sinners, that is, the truth that salvation comes only through the cross continues to this day. The last prayer that Jesus prayed for as he was nailed to death on the cross is the prayer that decorated the end of today's life. Therefore, this prayer can be said to be the concentrated work of Jesus.
Before hearing Jesus' supplication, the conjunction "i.e." appears. "Therefore" means 'after there was'. That is, 'After something happened, Jesus' last prayer began'. What happened? It is related to the Jews.
They treated Jesus, who came to save sinners who were doomed to be judged and destroyed by doing all kinds of good for mankind, and another God who lived a life of being so busy with serving that he had nowhere to lay his head. Even though he was seated high on the holy throne and deserved the songs of angels and the praises of the saints, he gave up the glory of heaven and came to this lowly and lowly earth in the flesh, causing suffering for the sake of this world full of sin and sorrow.
The earth is the land of Jesus, and the people are also the people Jesus created. They are crucifying the Lord Jesus in this way. Nevertheless, he went to the cross to destroy the last remaining life of his life. "Therefore" is the first word of the last prayer, when he vomits out his lips while suffering such blasphemy and suffering, or even laying down his life on the cross, "Father! Forgive us our sins..." - The Lord This is the first prayer of supplication.
The first word that the Lord spoke among the seven hypothetical words was the word “Father.” As he suffered on the cross, the first words that flowed from his lips looked at his body and cried out to God, saying, “Father,” not “I am dying. It is painful. Please save me” because of the pain that surrounds his body.
“Father,” I hear Jesus’ voice, which is quiet and clear. You must see the Bible as a picture and hear it with the voice. You should see him praying on the cross with faith, and you should hear the voice calling the Father. A cross of heinous punishment... If you are hung on the cross of the curse of abandonment, you should hear a voice of curse, of resentment, and a voice asking for your life. This confession of Jesus is a proclamation of an important truth.
In fact, 'Father' is a declaration of the relationship between God and Jesus. The fact that Jesus, who is on the cross, who is dying miserably, calls God Father is a declaration that the person you are killing is the Son of God. It is a proclamation to hear clearly that Jesus on the cross, who is dying of weakness and lowliness who cannot save his own body, is the Son of God.
Also, I want you to know clearly that you are killing the Son of God. It is also a proclamation to believe that the decisive proof that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God is not 'miracles, healings, and bread' but 100% proved by Jesus who died on the cross.
What is the cross? - It is God's way to prove that the carpenter's son is the Messiah.
The cross the world abandoned, but the Messiah was there. So today, I have to give up the world to see my Savior Messiah on the cross that seems foolish. However, the devil denies the cross and demands that you prove that you are the Son of God in another way. In Matthew 4:1-6, the devil says to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, make bread with stones.” In other words, if there is no miracle, you will doubt that Jesus is the Son of God. Modern people do not discover Christ through the cross, but seek to find Christ through special things in the world. But the only blood-shed Jesus is on the cross.
What is the essence of your relationship with God? It is the relationship between father and son that does not change even if circumstances change. If we are truly children of God, like Jesus, we too must have a relationship where we call God 'Father', even as we die and die. See it in athletics When you win a gold medal, you naturally seek God and seek the Buddha. But what if it fails? He resents God and cannot hide his disappointment. Like Jesus, even if you are abandoned by the world, I hope you will maintain the blessed relationship of calling God your Father.
Then Jesus prayed, “Forgive us.” Why did Jesus call the Father when he was dying? It is not a calling for Jesus Himself. Only the Father was called for the salvation of sinners. Even though the innocent Son of God is dying unjustly, in this solemn prayer for the forgiveness of the enemy's sins, we must discover who Jesus is.
Because that prayer was Jesus' most urgent prayer and the most serious problem for sinners. 'Forgive them,' is Jesus' last will. Each person is engrossed in the life of this world and puts a lot of effort and heart to show off what they see. But regardless of their appearance, all human beings in this world are sinners. And after you have sinned, you must receive God's terrible punishment.
In the eyes of Jesus, the high, low, and non-existent of life did not matter, but their sins and punishment seemed too great. That is why Jesus asked the Father to forgive sinners while taking the punishment of sinners in his place. Therefore, on the cross, Jesus always asks us - "Did you receive forgiveness of sins because of my merits?" If you answer "yes" at this time, Jesus will feel the reward of the cross and glorify God, but if you answer "no, I don't know yet," he will be very sad and heartbroken because it makes Jesus' death in vain.
Believers who have not tasted the judgment live their lives with the forgiveness of sins in vain. A person who is intoxicated with worldly blessings, life philosophy, and religion is zealous, but he replaces the forgiveness of sins with the knowledge in his head and pursues only other things. Look straight at Jesus on the cross Jesus on the cross showed himself how terrifying the cost of sin is through his painful image. The cross is where God's wrath and forgiveness meet. The cross of Jesus tells us this.
“Father, if you do not forgive their sins, they too will suffer the same pain as I do. My heart breaks at the thought of their punishment and suffering, and I cannot bear it, so I was crucified instead of you. May your sins be forgiven through faith."
This is not knowledge like a mathematical formula, nor is it a still black-and-white photograph. Today, we must hear, see, and be moved by the sublime love of Jesus. Have you been saved to go to heaven through the forgiveness of sins through the cross of Christ? Then you should pray like this. Then you should fill the rest of your life with that purpose.
"Lord! Don't worry too much about making me feel so comfortable in this world. Keep the scales in my eyes so that I can see the souls going to hell! Let me see sinners like you and cut and burst my heart. Jesus is already dead on the cross." In spite of this, let me see this world whose sins are not forgiven and weep and look at this rebellious age and let me bear the cross with the heart of the Lord. Let me also bear witness to the whole world to the end of the cross that even the world and the church are foolish to see Make me struggle to fight sin, so that I can boldly testify to all the world that the only hope in the world is the cross.”
Let's conclude. As you can see from Jesus' last petition, we discover that the urgent problem that we have no choice but to pray in the midst of suffering and death on the cross is not Jesus' own problem, but that of me and you who will be judged for our sins. The unchanging relationship of reconciliation that Jesus called as he died should continue, so that we can call him ‘Father’, even in the midst of difficult circumstances today.
In Jesus' last plea, "Forgive their sins," he confessed with emotion that even my sins were completely forgiven today, so Jesus' death was for me. I hope that you will become a Christian who discovers who you are and who ultimately gives your life back to you for the sake of the Lord.